Lower Ball Joint Video - 14 seconds - Too Much Play?

[Patrick]

Hi guys! Here’s the video.

How dangerous is this to drive until my OEM ball joints come in the mail?



I assume any play is too much.

It would be helpful to hear other opinions on this issue.

 

[Twowong4words]

I would not drive that until its repaired. The 1st generation Sequoia's lower ball joint design can suffer complete separation when worn out like that. It can damage the control arm, hub, brake lines, ABS system, suspension components, etc. not to mention loss of control and in some cases roll over.

Genuine 555 Sankei are OEM btw. No need to buy direct from Toyota. Buy the ball joints with the replacement bolts(4) too. Sankei offers them in a kit or the ball joints alacart.

 

[NVSean]

Fairly easy to replace. I was able to swap out lower ball joints with new OEM parts from 1stgenoffroad.com for much less than dealership prices, and includes new bolts. Josh has been very good with assistance, as I also upgraded and lifted my 2007 Sequoia.

 

[Boomer]

This is a safety issue. If it breaks while you're driving, you not only risk damaging many parts of your vehicle, you can wreck it. There are several videos of this. I recommend replacing the parts immediately with OEM parts because there many posts saying the aftermarket parts may only last 10K miles or less.
Be sure to get your parts from a supplier who uses your VIN to identify the year and MONTH of your Sequoia's birthday because Toyota made some changes mid-year within the same generations.
This is a lot of money, so spend it wisely.